A COMMUNITY event in Rhyl on Christmas Eve raised hundreds in donations for charity and saw children receive toys and presents to help spread festive cheer.

The event, at Holy Trinity Church and St Thomas’ Church grounds in Rhyl, raised £456, while roughly more than 700 people attended the event, which included a brass and bugle band, a double-visit from Father Christmas, and hot food and refreshments.

The money raised will be split five ways, between the Salvation Army, Rhyl Lifeboat Station, Holy Trinity Church, The Kings Storehouse foodbank in Rhyl, and Rhyl Fire Station.

A total of 125 toys and presents left over were then sent to the children’s ward at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan.

Steve Ridyard, who owns Peter Ridyards Second Hand Dealers in the town, along with NHS worker Neeley Street and Julie Woodward, St Thomas’ Church warden, led the organising of the event.

Steve, who has also helped coordinate similar Christmas events in the last two years, said: “It was like Glastonbury! It was massive; really, really good. We had to get two Santas because it was that big!

“The amount of people that turned up; I couldn’t believe it. There were 700+ people that turned up, but we had security, hand sanitiser, masks, and track and trace, so everything was as safe as it could be.

“All the pews in the church were rammed with toys; they all went, and then people brought in more present donations.

“Whatever presents were left, I rang up Glan Clwyd Hospital and they said the children’s unit would love them as long as they’re wrapped. They rang me up this morning saying thank you so much. I know they’re not PlayStations or iPhones, but it’s just that little bit of inspiration.

“We had the banners and bunting up, the Christmas tree outside, the brass and bugle band playing, Major Chris Davidson from Rhyl Salvation Army was there, and the car park was full.

“I can’t say thank you enough to the public for their support, despite COVID and possible lockdowns coming in.”

A buffet in the church was provided by Cyrina Merrill, while Gloria Lambert of The Pit Stop Mobile Catering also offered the use of a burger van, with Steve adding: “I think Gloria got rid of about 730 burgers; we had 500 baps and ran out, so we had to get more!”

Steve, who said he was ‘absolutely overwhelmed’ by the ‘100 per cent positive’ feedback he received from the event, is hoping to help put on the same event next year on an even larger scale.

He added: “I’m thinking an all-day event with kids’ fairground rides!

“We had six or seven collection buckets and raised £456 in a few hours - imagine an all-day event where you raise thousands of pounds; it’s nice to be nice.”